Thoughts on Death Penalty

[Gander]

We don't use the death penalty frequently enough, it takes too long for all the appeals to play out. They should be carried out in a more public manner. Show tough guys crying in their last minutes of life and you will see violent crime decrease.

[JABIII]

Hanging corpses left to rot is underrated as a deterrent to crime...

[HARV]

Hang’m

[Glenn]

Well I reckon I’ll be the odd ball and voice the unpopular position/opinion.

I don’t want the responsibility of deciding when someone is too far gone for salvation. They are God’s children whether we like to acknowledge it or not. Keep them from being able to harm another human for sure. But I’m glad I don’t have that job and have to make that decision. It’s easy to pray for victims. But we’re called to pray for and love our enemies also. It’s certainly not easy but the command is clear.

[Frank1]

I am not in favor of the electric chair but fully endorse electric bleachers

[scatter shot]

Well I reckon I’ll be the odd ball and voice the unpopular position/opinion.

I don’t want the responsibility of deciding when someone is too far gone for salvation. They are God’s children whether we like to acknowledge it or not. Keep them from being able to harm another human for sure. But I’m glad I don’t have that job and have to make that decision. It’s easy to pray for victims. But we’re called to pray for and love our enemies also. It’s certainly not easy but the command is clear.

Been there, done it.

One of the hardest things I've ever done

[redhead25]

To me, their relationship with God is their business and is irrelevant to the death penalty. Their relationship with God is a spiritual element and has little to do with their being on this planet. Their Salavation is not based on a jury’s decision. If they get the death penalty for a choice they made while on this earth, they have time to make their peace with what happens to their soul in the afterlife.

[FULLCHOKE]

Well I reckon I’ll be the odd ball and voice the unpopular position/opinion.

I don’t want the responsibility of deciding when someone is too far gone for salvation. They are God’s children whether we like to acknowledge it or not. Keep them from being able to harm another human for sure. But I’m glad I don’t have that job and have to make that decision. It’s easy to pray for victims. But we’re called to pray for and love our enemies also. It’s certainly not easy but the command is clear.

Probably another thread entirely, but what are your thoughts on predestination?

[Mars Bluff]

Funny how our society is more open these days to putting down sick and elderly people but are hesitant to execute a murderer. And don’t even get me started on abortion.

[centurian]

It needs to be expanded and carried out in a short period of time. Being on death row for 25 years is ridiculous. I will say give them a chance for appeal and if they loose again execute them the next morning at sun rise. Things that should be included murder, molestation or abuse of children, being a professional criminal (3 strike rule), terrorism, and selling, distributing, or manufacturing drugs.

Carrying out the sentence before time erases the facts is more of a deterrent for those in similar circumstance. Yes unfortunately some innocent may get whacked for the guilty will too. Go to the prison, they are all innocent just ask them.

[scatter shot]

The guy scheduled to be executed robbed a convenience store. The clerk complied with his commands.

So he shot her in the face.

Fry that bastard with prejudice.

[Palmetto Bug]

I'm fundamentally suspicious of giving any government such an important and final authority, especially considering how corrupt our judicial systems has become.

My instinct is to get retribution on a murderer with a violent and painful death but the real purpose of the penalty is to remove them from the population, without undue pain and suffering. I doubt it's very helpful to the victims' families to watch an execution that is graphically violent either. The prospect of a violent execution would likely discourage a jury when it came time to pick the sentence. I think we should work to get nitrogen hypoxia approved as a means to perform the execution. It's painless and the nitrogen is very readily available. All we need is a gas bottle and a CPAP mask.

Carbon monoxide would work too. I used to euthanize rats that got into my live traps by putting the whole trap in a garbage bag and holding it to the tailpipe of a running vehicle. It only takes a few minutes and they go to sleep forever.

[ecu1984]

caveat on my comments - "if without a doubt", maybe more than one witness, videotape, confessions, etc.

[Highstrung]

Yeah, i mean we could kill people effectively in a million different ways.. there are plenty of ways to do it less painless then the lethal injection we use. I'm not in love with the thoughts, so don't get me misconstrued.. But I'm not against public hangings, police or civilians, shouldn't make a difference.

My first college roommate was from Dubai, back when we just thought they all lived in barbaric tents.. He sat down and told me a pretty graphic story about the first public stoning he attended.. it wasn't what most would think, he was horrified

[Hogg]

Well I reckon I’ll be the odd ball and voice the unpopular position/opinion.

I don’t want the responsibility of deciding when someone is too far gone for salvation. They are God’s children whether we like to acknowledge it or not. Keep them from being able to harm another human for sure. But I’m glad I don’t have that job and have to make that decision. It’s easy to pray for victims. But we’re called to pray for and love our enemies also. It’s certainly not easy but the command is clear.

This position ought not to be unpopular with Christians.

[Fish]

Probably another thread entirely, but what are your thoughts on predestination?

Oh boy. That's a beauty. I was having a conversation with a guy (Danny) who lives in his bible and this topic came up. I don't remember the scripture right now and I do apologize for that. There's 30 something verses that talk about God's desire for a relationship with us and then there's this -> Jeremiah 29:11 ESV For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Anyway, Danny read that scripture and then he went to the bottom of the page for the "interpretation". I'm paraphrasing here, God has desires for us, in the sense He wants all of us to repent, and then there is God's will, which dictates His plan. In short, He wants the best for us, but He already knows what is going to happen. This is one interpretation. Draw your own conclusions.

I asked another friend who has his own ministry (and who knows Danny) about this topic. He said that he and Danny have talked about this and that they don't agree on the topic. But then, this guy believes it's okay for women to minister to men. What say you on that topic?

Here's another question that came up the other day. Is the Trinity three "people" or one?

I think the death penalty is necessary.

[Highstrung]

1

[Kioti]

I agree with it but I don't think it's a crime deterrent.

[Kioti]

Well I reckon I’ll be the odd ball and voice the unpopular position/opinion.

I don’t want the responsibility of deciding when someone is too far gone for salvation. They are God’s children whether we like to acknowledge it or not. Keep them from being able to harm another human for sure. But I’m glad I don’t have that job and have to make that decision. It’s easy to pray for victims. But we’re called to pray for and love our enemies also. It’s certainly not easy but the command is clear.

I don't think they wake them up one day and say 'surprise, guess what day it is'.

[CofC Waterfowler]

There have been a number of people exonerated after being put on death row. The appeals and the judicial safeguards saved their life. It's also more expensive to put someone to death than give them life in prison.